The Incident
by wolfenqueenyuri
Summary: Regina questions Rumpelstiltskin's feelings for her and decides to find out exactly what they are. Golden Queen AU


Author's note: Written for Golden Queen Week, which I've been organizing over on tumblr. Prompt: Early in their relationship, Regina thinks Rumpelstiltskin takes such pains helping and teaching her because he is in love with her.

The Incident

The thought first occurred to Regina about a week into her lessons.

From the moment she and Rumpelstiltskin met, the fledgling sorceress had become well aware of just how charismatic he was, and it had not taken long for her to fall under his spell (ironic as that was). However: the idea that her feelings could be reciprocated was something she had not even _remotely _considered.

At least: she hadn't until the incident.

It was such a small thing: she had blundered while making a potion and succeeded in burning herself. Despite the splotch of red on her skin where the liquid had fallen, it had not hurt very much and she'd fully expected to be scolded for neglecting to pay attention.

That was not what happened. Instead: Rumpelstiltskin had very tenderly taken her hand, and cautiously cast a cooling spell that soothed the area in seconds.

Her heart had been pounding relentlessly in her chest the entire time, surely loud enough for him to hear, and when he'd looked into her eyes and asked if she was all right, it had taken a great deal of effort not to fling herself into his arms.

Luckily she had managed to restrain herself, and after she'd answered his inquiry: he simply smiled gently, told her to be more careful, and walked away.

That had been three days ago.

It seemed as if the entire event had been forgotten, but then Regina noticed that Rumpelstiltskin tended to watch over her a bit more ever since.

One the one hand: she was flattered that he'd become more protective. On the other: it provided a huge distraction.

The one thing Regina wanted more than _anything_ was to prove herself worthy of being Rumpelstiltskin's student. It would be detrimental to her progress if she started acting like a lovesick teenager whenever her teacher was in the room. So, with that in mind, she decided that she would confront him directly and find out what his true feelings were.

The problem, of course, was figuring out how to approach him. Demanding information from the magician never worked in anyone's favor, least of all her own.

Eventually, Regina settled upon a plan. Rumpelstiltskin preferred to spend his evenings spinning, but he didn't mind her company and even told her stories while he sat at his wheel. Bringing up the question then would work out the best.

On a cool fall evening, Regina loaded up a tea tray with a plate of chocolate covered shortbread cookies and two cups of her teacher's favorite blend, and then headed to the main dining room.

As expected, Rumpelstiltskin was already sitting at his spinning wheel, and she watched for a moment as the fine thread in his hands transformed into glistening gold before walking over to him.

He turned his head to look at her as she did, his sharp eyes catching hers. "Is that jasmine and honey? What's the occasion?"

She flushed slightly and set the tray down, carefully lifting one cup and transporting it over to him. "I thought you could use a pick-me-up."

"How considerate," he paused at the wheel and accepted the tea with a smile. "You did very well in your lessons today, my dear. You're improving."

Regina grinned, delighted at his praise. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do," he stood, abandoning his spinning for the moment in order to join her over at the table. "I wouldn't have chosen you as my apprentice if I hadn't seen your potential."

She watched, amused, as he sat on the table itself instead of taking a chair, noting the almost childlike way he let his legs dangle over the edge, and when he offered her a hand so she could climb up with him, she took it without question.

They were quiet for a while, sipping their tea and snacking on the cookies, and Regina wondered just how she was going to bring up the subject she wished to discuss.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin hen Rumpelstiltskin suddenly took her hand within his.

She inhaled sharply when he ran his index finger ever-so-lightly over the area where she had burned herself. "What are you doing?"

"I've never seen anyone heal so quickly," he admitted. "Most would have had a scar, at the very least. It's like you have magic in your blood, which would explain a few things, actually…"

She blinked owlishly and leaned closer to him. "What do you mean by that?"

He brought his gaze to hers, and she realized just how close they had gotten.

"I'm a goblin, Regina. I'm born of magic, and because of that I'm instinctively drawn towards those who have it naturally. When we first met, I could sense a strong power within you: it's why I asked you to be my student."

"I remember that…but I'm not sure I understand," she confessed.

"I'm not sure I fully understand what's happening either," he chuckled from low in his throat, and then brought his hand up to brush a stray lock of hair tenderly away from her eyes. "But it could be why I feel so protective of you. Natural mages are a rarity."

"Oh," her voice suddenly turned soft. "So that's why."

"Why what?" he tilted his head quizzically.

"Why you've been so kind to me lately. I—I thought that maybe—

She bit at her lower lip, embarrassed.

He stared at her for a long, rather painful moment before realization dawned in his eyes.

Regina wondered if the best thing to do was leave before she made even more of a fool of herself, only to have every thought in her head fly away when Rumpelstiltskin decided that the best way to react was to kiss her.

It was certainly not what she would have predicted. She _expected_ him to kiss like a demon: hard and demanding and lustful. Instead, his lips were soft and gentle against hers, but there was an underlying passion to his embrace that caused her heart to flutter.

His fingers came up to tangle carefully into her hair, and he nipped lightly at her mouth before tugging back to give her air and gauge her reaction.

Slowly, a happy smile crossed Regina's face, and an identical one spread over Rumpelstiltskin's striking features before she decided that, _this time_, launching herself into his arms was entirely warranted.

The End


End file.
